Penulis Irfan Kamil, Jakarta – As many as 38 academics from Australia sent a letter to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Thursday September 16 requesting that he give amnesty to jailed university lecturer Saiful Mahdi.

Jakarta – Following the announcement by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) that it will honorably discharge 57 of its employees on September 30, a number of different parties have urged President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to take a firm stand on the issue.

Jakarta – Street artists have loudly condemned a mural contest festival to be organised by the Indonesian police (Polri) saying that it is a waste of time and absolutely does not show that the government is open to criticism.

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's visit to the Eleven March University (UNS) in the Central Java city of Solo on Monday September 13 was marred by the arrest of several students. They were taken away by police after putting up critical posters on the side of a road that Widodo was to pass by.

Yogyakarta – A mural on the eastern side of the Wirobrajan intersection in Central Java city of Yogyakarta was covered over with black paint on the morning of Friday September 10.

It is known that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo would be passing through this stretch of road during a working visit to Yogyakarta today.

Jakarta – The non-government organisation (NGO) Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) says that police violated the law when they arrested a farmer who held up a poster during President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's visit to Blitar, East Java, on Tuesday September 7.

Jakarta – As many as 115 pro-democracy figures are urging President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to go after and prosecute the intellectual actors behind the 2004 assassination of renowned human rights defender Munir Said Thalib.

Jakarta – The Solidarity Action Committee for Munir (KASUM) has listed a number of names of people who are strongly suspected to be involved in the assassination of renowned human rights defender Munir Said Thalib but have yet to be investigated.

Fitria Chusna Farisa, Jakarta – Presidential Staff Deputy Chief Juri Ardiantoro says that criticism should not be allowed to ignore obedience to the law, ethics and aesthetics. If the criticism is intended as part of democracy, said Ardiantoro, these three elements must still be basic to this.

Tatang Guritno, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) says that the government has been excessive in dealing with the emergence of murals with a critical tone drawn by the public.

Jakarta – A number of murals and graffiti with a critical tone on walls in busy locations have been removed recently. The aggressive removal of the critical murals has largely been done by regional officials and police in their respective areas.

Achmad Nasrudin Yahya, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia is concerned that the public will become even more reluctant to express an opinion after police acted excessively by hunting down and arresting a person who painted a mural critical of the government.

Jakarta – A 20-year-old man with the initials RS has been questioned by police after offering a T-shirt with a picture resembling the "Jokowi 404: Not Found" mural on social media several days ago.

Fitria Chusna Farisa, Jakarta – Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko has asked the public not to criticise President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in a reckless manner. After all, the president is a parent to the ordinary people and must be respected.

Rahel Narda Chaterine, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has criticised President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's state of the nation address to the People's Consultative Assembly's (MPR) annual session at the parliamentary complex on Monday August 16.

Jakarta – Jakarta State University (UNJ) sociologist Ubedilah Badrun has criticised the actions of authorities in removing murals containing social criticisms of the government such as a mural depicting President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo with the message "404: Not Found" in Tangerang and a mural reading "Forced to be well in a country that is sick"

Jakarta – The Civil Society Alliance – which is made up of a number of organisations in Indonesia and East Timor – is urging President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to revoke the Bintang Jasa Utama (1st Class Star of Service) award for civil bravery and courage in times of adversity which was given to former East Timorese pro-integration militia leader E

Erika Nugraheny, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has bestowed the Bintang Jasa Utama (1st Class Star of Service) award for civil bravery and courage in times of adversity on former pro-integration East Timorese militia leader Eurico Guterres. The award ceremony was held at the State Palace in Thursday August 12.

Jayapura – Lawyer and human rights activist Veronica Koman has spoken out about the worsening health of Papua activist Victor F Yeimo who has being detained at the Mobile Brigade command headquarters detention centre (Rutan Mako Brimob) for the last three months.

Wahyuni Sahara, Jakarta – Epidemiologist Dicky Budiman from Griffith University in Australia says that the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia is not yet properly under control.